Russia finalises testing of new long-range missile for fifth-generation fighters

The Armed Forces of Russia are in the final phase of testing of the R-37M long-range air-to-air missile which will be part of the arsenal of Russian fighters of the fourth and fifth generations, in particular, the Su-57.

According to Lenta.ru citing the Russian Defense Ministry, an advanced version of the R-37, developed in the Soviet years, is able to hit high-speed air targets at a range of more than 300 kilometers. Some source reports that the range depends on the flight profile, from 150 km for a direct shot to 300 km for a cruise glide profile.

The range of new Russian interceptor missile more than a twice exceeds the AIM-120 AMRAAM, which is in the arsenal of NATO countries.

Technical specifications of the R-37M interceptor are not revealed, it is known only that its design is made in a normal aerodynamic scheme with a wing of small elongation. With an estimated launch weight of 500 kg, and equipped with and with 60 kilograms high-explosive fragmentation warhead, missile at the final stage of the flight can accelerate to 6 Mach.

The baseline R-37M uses a combination of an inertial navigation system and active radar homing.

The new Russian interceptor missile also eventually be integrated onboard of the Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E and the Mikoyan MiG-31BM Foxhound fighters.